Sunshine. Ocean breezes. Endless dancing. Strong Cuban coffee. People hope for these things when they’re visiting Miami, and we found all of that plus more! After spending Halloween in Salem, we were lucky enough to travel to Miami, Florida, for another week of vacation in preparation for Jordan’s birthday. Below is our entire itinerary, highlights of our favorite attractions, and detailed reviews on restaurants, areas of town, and excursions out of town that we enjoyed!
Wednesday, Day 1
Having flown from Salem, MA, on the previous day, we slept in today (and every day, in fact). Click here for the Airbnb we stayed at in Downtown Miami! We felt very safe there and would return again. We walked to Honey Uninhibited, voted 2022’s #1 brunch spot in Miami and conveniently located near our Airbnb. Everything we had was great, but the mac-n-cheese truffle bites were uniquely delicious!
After brunch and a few cocktails, we took an Uber to Miami Beach. The city of Miami is on the mainland while Miami Beach is a large manufactured island stretching along the coast parallel to Miami. City buses have a route across the bridge, but no trains or metros go between them, so we chose Uber for efficiency! We had them take us to 1 Lincoln Rd, Miami Beach, a convenient beach access turnaround for Uber drop-offs/pickups. This was easy, and I’d highly recommend using this spot as a drop-off if you’re visiting Miami Beach! We were close to the beach and lounged on towels in the afternoon sun before heading home via Uber for a nap. Lincoln Road itself is a popular shopping area within South beach.
We went back to Miami Beach that evening to the southernmost point, locally called “South of Fifth.” We had 7 pm reservations at a Greek restaurant called Santorini by Georgios. The service was fantastic, and we got to try multiple Greek dishes and cocktails! Tables were arranged poolside with beautiful lighting, and a gentle ocean breeze made its way through the palm trees as we dined.
Thursday, Day 2
We booked tickets online for Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden for our second day visiting Miami. A beautiful tropical oasis just 30 minutes from downtown Miami, we were pleased to find that the grounds were perfectly maintained. Fairchild has a butterfly house filled with Central and South American butterflies, an expansive misty rainforest, countless waterfalls, giant trees, and walking paths that easily handle strollers. Friendly employees passed us in golf carts and offered occasional suggestions on where to go next. We purchased our tickets for $20/per person at the entrance. Our tickets got us in all day long, and they gave us a map to freely explore the grounds. They also have a café with indoor seating and large windows to look into the butterfly exhibit while you eat! We spent about 2 hours here relaxing and taking photos. Click here for video footage, or scroll below to see photos!
We had a tour booked for the afternoon, so we Ubered back to our Airbnb for lunch before heading to Little Havana, the vibrant Cuban neighborhood next to downtown Miami. We booked this tour via Airbnb Experiences, my favorite place to find unique experiences (thesaurus?) in new cities! When we booked online, we paid $40/per person, and the cost was well worth it. This is a CAN’T MISS when visiting Miami!
Our tour guide, Michael, is deeply invested in the Little Havana community and lives along the main road, Calle Ocho (or 8th Street). He regaled us with Cuban history, the struggles of migration, and the political climate in Little Havana regarding Cuba and immersed us in Miami’s Cuban culture. We enjoyed mojitos on the street, music that made us want to dance our hearts out, and delicious Cuban cafecitos handmade by Michael himself! The area enchanted me, and I would love to take a travel nurse contract here. Click the slideshow below to see pictures from Little Havana! Is visiting Miami on your bucket list yet?!
Inside Domino Park, only for people 55+! 
Players posing in Domino Park 
Skyler in front of Calle Ocho festival art 
Cuban cafecitos made by Michael for our tour, essentially shots of sugar and expresso! 
Cubaocho Museum & Dancehall with free salsa lessons, displaying rescued paintings from Cuba 
“Abuela Maria” icecream with guava chunks, maria cookies, and cream cheese with guava syrup. From Azucar Ice Cream Shop 
Bacardi originated in Cuba! The audio tour for Little Havana has Michael’s voice for this display! 
Classic mojito made with dry ice from La Esquina de la Fama’s street window 
Michael explaining the traditional process of making Cuban cigars 
Skyler and Jordan in front of Comida Cubana, popular restaurant in Little Havana
Friday, Day 3
We took a 45-minute Uber to visit Patch of Heaven, a 20-acre wildlife sanctuary south of Miami protected by a nonprofit organization. Like Fairchild, we were released onto the grounds with a map and permission to explore! This site is filled with historical Asian sculptures, traditional architecture, and the largest koi fish I have ever seen! They also have a butterfly house filled with flowers and beautiful waterfalls. Patch of Heaven hosts weddings and events and self-guided tours like ours, so cabins and wedding areas were spread across the grounds and off-limits to tourists. Tickets were $20/per person when we booked online.
NOTE: Navigating this sanctuary was not easy, and only some of the paths are marked on the map, so be prepared to truly explore and even get a little lost! All paths eventually lead back to the main road, and we met employees working throughout the sanctuary, so you can also ask them for directions.
After Patch of Heaven, we headed back into inner-city Miami to swim at the Venetian Pool, a historic swimming grotto open to the public since 1923. They had caves, a large cascading waterfall, plenty of spots to lounge in the sun, and an on-site café. We paid $16/per person at the entrance and could stay as long as we wanted! This is a perfect spot to cool off for both adults and children.
After a quick nap at our Airbnb, we went to an interactive light-based art exhibit in downtown Miami called Superblue. Visitors are walked through the exhibits by guides, and we purchased our tickets online one week prior for $55/per person. Exhibits included:
- An elaborate mirrored room
- A room that reminded me of Squid Game
- A vast space that changed scenery to allow visitors to interact with it
I made a TikTok to better display that final room; click here to view it!
My favorite area in Superblue was the Massless Clouds exhibit! We had to pay an extra $12/per person at booking to go through this room. Employees prepared us with ponchos, shoe covers, and masks before ushering us into a darkly lit room full of bubble clouds! We were allowed to roam the room, play in the clouds, and take as many photos as we wanted for about 15 minutes. Click here to see the exhibit!
Honestly, going through Superblue was expensive at $67/per person and was not worth the money to me. Go for it if you want to see the interactive rooms and have the dough to spend! If you have multiple children, are on a budget, or are short on time, try one of the other Miami attractions listed on this blog.
Saturday, Day 4
This day was unique because we took a day trip to Key West! We woke up while it was still dark to Uber to a Greyline pickup location by 7:15 am. We were transported in a double-decker bus that had A/C, wifi, and a restroom. Driving along Highway 1 took us from Miami through every single “Key” until we reached the furthest point, Key West! We paid $49/per person for tickets booked online one week in advance. If you’re considering visiting Miami, you can click here for our exact tour.
Our tour guide was friendly, chatty, and extremely helpful. During the drive, our guide gave us an overview of Key West and personally took our bookings for snorkeling tours, parasailing, and trolley tickets. After a scenic 4-hour drive and a quick breakfast stop at McDonald’s, our bus arrived in downtown Key West. Our tour guide had our trolley tickets ready for us on arrival and led us to a trolley stop. The Old Towne Trolley is a hop-on-hop-off system that circulates around Key West all day. It stops at multiple hotels on the island, major attractions, and restaurants downtown. The trolley drivers were our tour guides, sharing history and food suggestions throughout the narrated tour. Jordan and I rode the whole route (90 minutes) around the entire island before getting off downtown to find some lunch.
We found lunch at Sloppy Joe’s, a saloon in downtown Key West that has been open and thriving since Dec 5th, 1933 – the day that Prohibition was repealed! The bar was created by Joe Russell, and his close friend, Ernest Hemingway, was a frequent patron in the saloon’s early days. Sloppy Joe’s actually moved to its current position from a building across the street in 1937. According to their website, “In true Key West fashion, the bar never actually closed during the transition – customers simply picked up their drinks and carried them, along with every piece of furniture in the place, down the block to 201 Duval Street. Service resumed with barely a blink.” Modern Sloppy Joe’s has a long cocktail list, plenty of hot food, and live music all day long. We welcome the open-air, cheerful atmosphere after exploring under the Key West sun!
We met our bus driver at a pre-determined spot in downtown Key West at 5:30 pm and were back at our Airbnb by 10 pm that evening. Overall, we had about 6 hours of free time in Key West. Since the bus ride was so educational and the trolley ride was so relaxing, this was plenty of time for a day trip!
Sunday, Day 5
Today was the event we were visiting Miami for: Jordan’s birthday! We slept in and relaxed before we Ubered to brunch reservations at Nikki Beach, one of the hottest beach clubs in Miami. At $75/per person, we enjoyed fantastic service and an endless buffet of made-to-order breakfast items. The ambiance was perfect, and an ocean breeze kept us cool despite the Miami heat. We drank pina coladas from real coconut cups, soaked in the sunshine, and chatted for two hours before deciding we were too full to eat anymore! While expensive, this place is worth visiting if you’re celebrating or having a night out with friends.
We spent the afternoon at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, a lavish estate located on the northern end of Biscayne Bay. After 3 years of construction, the mansion was completed in 1916 to serve as the winter home for James Deering, a wealthy bachelor from Chicago who hoped that the tropical weather would cure his anemia. The extensive Italian Renaissance gardens were completed in 1922, but unfortunately, James Deering died a few years later in 1925. His two nieces inherited the property and took care of it until 1952, when Miami-Dade County purchased the property. The estate was subsequently opened to the public as a museum. Check out our slideshow of beautiful photos below!
After our late afternoon nap, we went to dinner reservations at The Gramercy, a newer Miami restaurant serving American Brasserie cuisine and displaying the “everlasting style and charm of Manhattan.” An Instagrammer’s dream, this restaurant was dressed to the nines and filled with upbeat dance music! Luckily we could still hear each other over the music, and we spent over 2 hours enjoying the atmosphere. We highly recommend their mac-n-cheese side dish, which comes in little baby pots! The picture is attached below; you’re welcome!
Our entire trip was filled with sunshine, music, and relaxation. I’ve been hooked by the rich culture of Miami and am already planning my next trip back! We had an incredible time visiting Miami!
*This was a two-part trip! To read about the first part, click here: “My Itinerary: 3-Day Witchy Weekend in Salem, MA”